"Every night when you come, I always think, it would be nice if it didn't get bright again."
"..."
"The mornings when you are not around...are the most boring times in the world."
Tears flowed down Shui Xinyuan's face.
On his back was the hand that always calmed him down, but Shui Xinyuan could not hug Lu Fusu back, and could only hold the corner of his clothes slightly.
Lu Fusu's arms worked harder. It was Shui Xinyuan's first experience of what it meant to be strong.
Knowing that they couldn't get their wish, the two could only pray in their hearts, hoping that time could stop...
…
The rain finally lightened up just before dawn.
Shui Xinyuan was ready to go back alone as usual, but Lu Fusu insisted on sending her off, so she put on half-dry clothes and walked out of the door with Lu Fusu.
Lu Fusu pulled Shui Xinyuan's head closer and used his sleeves to shield her from the rain.
Although Shui Xinyuan had some scruples, she still hid under his sleeves silently and obediently.
Both of them knew that it would be bad for their health if the rain continued, but they were unwilling to speed up their pace no matter what.
Still, the trail always ends.
When he came to the place where he could see the dormitory of the Jiaofang, Lu Fusu stopped first.
"...It seems like there is someone."
"Huh?"
Shui Xinyuan straightened up and looked in surprise, and found a court lady wearing the same clothes as herself, the one she wore at the banquet last night, standing at the entrance of the bedroom.
"Shui Xinyuan?"
"Qing...Qing'er?"
Despite the noise of the rain, I could still hear the familiar voice.
Shui Xinyuan was surprised again.
"Is he your friend?"
"is that one……"
"The one we're with is His Royal Highness?"
Lu Fusu and Shui Xinyuan froze at the same time.
"Okay, let's come in first. Do you want to catch the cold?"
"Qing'er, are you... not sleeping?"
"I don't know where this idiot came from. He staggered out without even bringing an umbrella. Who can sleep!"
After the two of them entered under the eaves, Qing'er looked back and forth impatiently at Shui Xinyuan and Lu Fusu.
"Hey, then you didn't come back for a long time, so I started to doze off. Hey, Shui Xinyuan, if you come back like this, you will make the corridor dirty. Quickly twist your hem and take off your shoes. Your Highness, Prince
, you wouldn’t go looking for her on such a rainy day, would you?”
"No, no, Qing'er..."
"Shh, you're too loud..."
Shui Xinyuan quickly shut up.
It was still quiet all around.
"No, it's me..."
"I didn't pay attention, so Miss Shui got cold... Are you Miss Shui's friend?"
"That's right, I am the daughter of Xu Ji Oil Company in Beijing. My name is Xu Qing. You are His Highness the Crown Prince, right?"
"Yes, I am Lu Fusu. Since you are Miss Shui's friend, for Miss Shui's sake, I hope you won't tell anything about me."
Qing'er was fearless and could even be said to be rebellious as she crossed her arms and raised her chin to glare at Lu Fusu.
"If you would cherish her."
"certainly."
"Okay, then I agree."
"Qing...Qing'er?"
"Water girl."
Lu Fusu spoke and Shui Xinyuan turned his head.
"Thank you for coming last night. Please take care and be careful not to catch a cold."
"Okay...His Royal Highness Fusu is also..."
Lu Fusu touched Shui Xinyuan's cheek, smiled slightly, and walked into the rain.
Shui Xinyuan stood there until Lu Fusu could no longer be seen.
…
"...when did you find out?"
Shui Xinyuan asked quietly as he changed out of his wet clothes and wiped his loosened hair in the room.
"When Uncle Fu has such a bright red cloth hanging on his waist, you will go up to talk to him, and ask me to borrow a belt or clothes, but you will always return it to me in just one night, as long as it is not Even the stupidest fool in the shop would notice it!"
"I see……"
"However, I didn't expect that the other party was such a big shot."
Qing'er snickered quietly while smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes.
"...Why do you know it's His Highness Fusu?"
"You often go out at night, which means that the other party is also in this palace at night. At first, I thought he was a member of the Imperial Guard who was on duty at night, but then I thought it wasn't... It wasn't until last night's banquet that I was sure of the other party's identity."
Qing'er raised her head and looked at Shui Xinyuan.
"This is the first time I've seen you so angry."
"..."
"You're angry, right?"
Shui Xinyuan also stared at Qing'er, then lowered his head.
"He is his younger brother, but..."
"yes!"
"He obviously has a gentle brother..."
"It's just because I don't agree with it that I say such big words."
"..."
"Isn't this a situation that has been seen everywhere since ancient times? Brothers fighting for the throne."
Qing'er spread her clothes on the chair, took out a comb and began to comb Shui Xinyuan's hair.
"His Royal Highness Lu Wuxian's mother... Concubine Chen's natal family is a wealthy family, and more and more supporters are bribed by interests. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on the other side has no support from his natal family, and looks very disadvantageous in comparison."
"But, His Highness Fusu really cares about the world..."
"Yes! But only wealthy families can participate in the battle for the throne. This is the reality."
"...Do all the rich people want His Highness Lu Wuxian to become the emperor?"
Qing'er stopped combing her hair and thought for a while.
"Shui Xinyuan... I'm going out now, so you should come with me."
"Where to go? Practice?"
"The day after the banquet is a day off! I have to go home and visit an acquaintance's house."
"acquaintance?"
Shui Xinyuan was about to turn his head to Qing'er when his head was knocked.
"Okay, you're done! You must not have had enough sleep, right? Take a little sleep first, I'll call you later."
After Shui Xinyuan was kicked out of the room by Qing'er, he had no choice but to return to his room.
Qing'er has always known...
But he didn't investigate deeply, but he always helped me a lot.
She must be full of doubts...
However, I am so surprised that she has no scruples about His Highness Fusu.
Although she was originally very courageous, she did not flinch when facing the prince.
"..."
If you would cherish her.
certainly.
Their conversation is incomprehensible.
Shui Xinyuan never remembered being treated harshly by Lu Fusu.
When it comes to cherishing, Shui Xinyuan feels that he has cherished himself so far.
Because Lu Fusu is a gentle and considerate person, he treats a humble person like me with tenderness...
Looking out the window, the rain has stopped and the eastern sky has begun to turn white.
...I hope God will protect His Highness Fusu from catching a cold.
Shui Xinyuan gently folded his palms facing the morning light.
…
Beijing is full of energy early in the morning.
Shui Xinyuan followed Qing'er to the street where she hadn't been for a long time.
At most, she would only leave the palace when entrusting the caravan to Liuzhou to deliver a message back to her hometown.
Children walked from the market to the streets lined with restaurants, carrying pots filled with pickled vegetables or bowls filled with dried fruits.
Boats carrying vegetables and catches also pass by on the waterway next to it.
"Qing'er, do you want to go home?"
Shui Xinyuan has been invited to Qing'er's house two or three times. The road they are taking now is the same road leading to Qing'er's house in their memory.
"Not to my house, it's nearby, over there, turn right."
Qing'er's family sells oil, so they settled near the market. Taking a step further inside, after entering the alley, there were far fewer pedestrians, and all they saw was a large mansion with endless white walls.
"What a magnificent mansion..."
"Because this is a noble family."
"Huh? What you call nearby, could it be..."
Qing'er didn't respond, she quickened her pace and walked through the open door in the corner of the long wall without hesitation.
"Qinger!"
"Come with me, this is the family I'm looking for."
"It's...whose home is this?"
"Don't worry, they are my regular customers."
...Are you a customer of the oil store?
There are also walls inside the mansion. After passing through the second door, you will see a vast expanse.
Wow, so spacious...
Shui Xinyuan originally thought that Lu Fusu's garden was already very big, but here it is even bigger. You can see that the flowers, trees and ponds have been carefully taken care of.
"It's a beautiful garden, isn't it?"
"Hmm, um, so beautiful..."
"This is the garden of the home of an important official in the court."
"..."
Shui Xinyuan looked around the garden and buildings again.
Is this the power of this family, or is Lu Fusu too simple? In short, it can be seen that this family's life is luxurious, far more than that of the prince Lu Fusu.
"This is the home of Mr. Zhuge, the Minister of Public Affairs."
"...big shot?"
"Yes, the Zhongshu Province is the most powerful government office in the world. By the way, let me tell you, the job of the Zhongshu Province is simply to assist the emperor in his work."
"Is...is this okay? Let's break into the home of such a big shot..."
Qing'er shrugged indifferently.
"Didn't I tell you that they are regular customers of my family? Our family has been responsible for delivering oil to them since I was born. The minister of Zhongshu is the master of this family, and his son is a doctor of Hubu. We were childhood sweethearts.
I often come to this garden to play."
"Ah...I see..."
Qing'er walked through the garden, took Shui Xinyuan to a room inside without hesitation, and opened the door rudely without even saying hello.
"Wow!...Ah? Qing'er?"
"Good morning, how are you doing lately?"
"Hey, hey, hey... you're still rude!"
"Don't worry! Except for you, I am very polite to everyone else."
Because of this unexpected development, Shui Xinyuan hadn't recovered yet and hid behind Qing'er.
After entering the room, he saw a young man wearing light clothes in this room, which was also wider than Lu Fusu's.
He is about the same height as Lu Fusu, and his slightly droopy eyes give people a friendly impression.
"It's not cute at all to behave like this despite not seeing each other for a few months..."
The young man sighed and smiled bitterly, and looked at Shui Xinyuan.
"...Where did this girl come from?"
"It's my good friend, Shui Xinyuan."
"Sorry to bother you..."
After lowering his head and raising his head, he saw the young man looking at Shui Xinyuan with great interest.
"Hey, unlike you, she is a very cute girl!"
"It's redundant to say he's different from me! Shui Xinyuan, this is Zhuge Qing, the idiot son of this family."